Ophthalmic mounting



Dec. 30, 1924- 52,484

F. A. STEVENS OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING Filed May e, 1920 2 sheets-snet 1 imm @n F. A. STEVENS OPHTHALMI C MOUNTING Filed May 8, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mor/7?! Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT FREDERICK A. STEVENS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOB., BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO BAUSCH ANDLOMB OPTICAL COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW

YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING.

Application filed May 8, 1920.

To all whom t mayl concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK ARTHUR STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, and

va resident of Providence, in the county of pieces of a pair of spectacles is a delicate op- Veration which requires skilful manipulation.

The ends of the rim must be held, one in each hand, and the lens must be prevented from falling out of the open rim, and yet some way must also be found forv holding the temple in position about the dowel until the end pieces are brought together and the free end of the dowel has entered its registering opening provided upon the opposite end piece. In many instances, the temple falls off' the dowel before the operation is completed, necessitating a repositioning of the various elements anew vpreparatory to another trial. Various attempts have hitherto been made to overcome this diiiiculty, most of which involve complications of structure, and none of which are entirely satisfactory.

The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide simple means for self-maintenance of the temple in position 'upon the dowel until the end pieces are secured together.

To this end, a feature `of the invention contemplates providing` the dowel, with a projecting shoulder'that is adapted to be engaged by the temple to maintain it in position upon the dowel. pass through the opening in the ear of the temple to permit removal of the temple from the dowel. i

With the above object in view, the invention consists of the improved ophthalmic mounting hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a view in cross section through the end pieces of a spectacle frame, showing a preferred embodimentpof the piesent invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view, with one of the end pieces removed,

The shoulder mayv Serial No. 379,788.

showing a temple maintained in position upon a dowel; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the temple lowermost; Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1 of a modification; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the modification shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view of a detail; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of another modification; Fig. S is a perspective view of the modification shown in Fig. 7, showing a temple maintained in position upon the dowel; Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the construction of the end piece that is unprovided with the dowel; Figs. 10 and 11 are views of details; Fig. 12 is a View similar to Fig. 7 of a slight modification; Figs. 13 and 14 are views corresponding to Figs. 10 and 11, respectively; Fig. 15 is a view of still another modification; Fig. 16 is a view of a detail; Fig. 17 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 of a slightly modified embodiment; and Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 15, illustrating a somewhat different method of mounting the dowel upon the end piece.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the body portion of a dowel 2, that is permanently secured upon a temple end piece 4 of a spectacle frame, is cylindrical to provide a beaiing for a temple 12. The intermediate portion of the dowel is shown at 6 tapering towards the free end, or otherwise reduced in cross section, so as to provide a projecting, ring-sliaped shoulder 8 at the free, unreduced end. The ear 10 of the temple 12 is provided with the usual opening 14 to facilitate its mounting upon the dowel. The

' diameterof the opening 14 is greater than thatv of the ring 8 to permit removal of the temple from the dowel. Upon the separation of the end piece 16 from the end piece 4,v the temple will tend to tilt about the dowel 'and to fall olf therefrom. The wall ofthe opening in the ear of the temple will, however, engage the shoulder 8, as shown in Fig. ,2, whereby the fall will be checked and the temple will be maintained in position upon the dowel. Se effective is the shoulder to maintain the temple upon the dowel that the spectacles may be held in any desired position without dislodging the temple. In Fig. 3, the end piece is shown inverted, with the free end of the dowel pointing downward, and with the temple nevertheless prevented from falling off. The temple may be intentionally removed from the dowel by merely lifting it off, the shoulder 8 passing through the/opening 14. f .The diameter of the opening 14 is suiii- Y 2oy A in the dowel-receiving opening 2O of stand-v ciently greater thanthat of the body portion of the dowelY 2 to prevent the temple binding upon the dowel. Such binding is objectionable as interferingwith the smoothness and uniformity of pivotal movement of the temple. The temple is perfectly freely mounted upon the dowel, may be kremoved and replaced with ease, 'and yet can not fall off at atime when it is desiredto main- 16, :the -ring-shapedprojection 18 is con-- stituted of n spring metal eXpansible,` as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, to retain -the'temple in position'upon the dowehand contractible,l

as shown in Fig.4, so as tobeenclosed withard size. To permitrof this contraction, and

so that the ring Vmay be prevented from fallingoff the dowel, it is shownunounted Within a groove 22 provided near the free end of the dowel. A

Here, again, the temple is perfectly free to pivot about the dowel, without frictional r binding thereagainst. It mayreadilyV be removed from'the. dowel by removing the ring 18 or by compressing the ring( within the groove 22, butcan not fall ofi' Vaccidentally, thoughvthe spcctacles'be held in any desired position, illustrated .in Fig. 3. There is the f added advantage thatV less opportunity is provided for wabbling of the temple uponthe. dowel than is the case 'with the construction offFigs. 1, 2 and 3. Y l

The shoulderS of Fig. 1 need not extend all the way around the dowel. This will z be understood from a consideration of Fig.

7,7in which the shoulder is shown'ascon'- sisting of a short, projecting finger 24. ,f It is preferred to have this finger constituted of spring metal mounted" upon a springmetal base 26, as is illustrated inFig. 11. The base 26 is mounted in a longitudinailslot 28 ofthe dowel. V The illustrated embodi` ment of,V this modification is shown as comprising two oppositely disposed spring1ingers 24, so that the temple ear may be engagedby one or the other of the fingers to correspond to the action illustrated in Figs.V 2 and 3. `In practice, to prevent wabblyf 'mot1on, as in the case Vof Fig. 5, both fingers may be always in engagement with the temple eanas will be clear from Figs. 7 and 8.v The fingers 24 may bev pressedinwardlyinto the slot 28 if an end piece 16 0f standard construction is employed or, pref-- erably, the opening 2O offthe end piece 176 `may be slightly enlargedV atV 30 to provide for receivingk the projecting lfingers, withi f Fig. 12u/ith Fig. 7 and Figs. 13and 14 with Figs. 10 and 11. l

The structure of this modification is a little more complicated than that of Fig.

1,4, but, on the otherhand, it has alll the advantages of the latter-named modification with the additional-advantage that thetem- .ple ymay be engaged at two-points only by the lingers 24 and not throughout a complete circumference, as is the case with the ring 18.

In the modification of Fig. `15, the-lack' of Y wabbly motion of the temple upon ythe dowel `that is attendant upon the structures ofV Figs.y 4 and 7 `isvobtained withan integral projecting ring, as in Fig. 1.j vThe body portion of the dowel is intermediately reducedk in cross section at 32 anda spring collarv34 is floosely Vmounted about the reducedpor-Uv tion. The integral `projecting ring-shaped shoulder 8 prevents the collar becoming detached fromthe dowel. After thespring col'- lar 34 has been thus positioned, itis con tracted and introduced within the opening 14 ofthe temple ear. l The walls of the open-V ing 14 becoming frictionally engaged by the collar, thejcollar and the temple act functionally as a unit. The temple is thus prevented fronrrfalling off thefdowel, though,

as in the otherdescribed modifications,the

spectacles may be held inv anypos'itioruiyet it is freelynrpivotally mounted thereove-r without jfrictiona'llbinding thereagainst, and

it maybe readilyremoved and replaced pas, y.

occasion demands.

Manyfothervr modifications willi occur-to i Y. l those skilled in -theart--. i'

. As theinvention isl relieved tobe broad vin scope, it is intended that the'ffollowing in so far as limitations may ytherein* be specicallyimposed.y 'Y

f v What is claimed as new is: 1

.1. A Vtemple endpiece having `a permanently secured dowel provided with a lprojecting shoulder adapted to be engaged by,- theear of-a removable temple to' maintain j the temple in position upon the dowel.

2. -A templel end piecerhavingY a-permanently sceured dowel Vthe freeV end of which e5 v f Y ico vclaims shall be broadly construed except;` I

o is provided with a'projecting ringadapted l to be` engaged by the ear of a removable temple to maintain the temple in position upon thedowel. I f

3. A temple end piece having a perma-V nently secured dowel the body portion off which 'is reduced in cross section, whereby the free end of the dowel is provided with a projecting shoulder adapted to be engaged by the ear ot a removable temple that is mounted upon the body portion to maintain the temple in position upon the dovvel.

4. A temple end piece having a dowel the body portion of Which tapers towards the free end thereof, the 'free end being provided with a projecting, integrally formed ring adapted to be engaged by the ear of a temple that is mounted upon the body portion to maintain the temple in position upon the d'oWel.

5. In combination, a temple end piece, a doivel secured to the end piece provided with a projecting shoulder, and a temple having an ear provided with an opening Within which the doWel is received, the Wall of the opening being adapted to engage the shoulder to cause the temple to be maintained in position upon the doWel, and the shoulder being adapted to be passed through the opening to permit removal of the temple from the dowel 6. ln combination, a temple end piece, a doWel permanently secured to the end piece, the free end of the doWel being provided with a projecting ring, and a temple having an ear provided With an opening Within which the dovvel is received, the Wall of the opening being adapted to engage the ring to cause the temple to bemaintained in position upon the doivel, and the diameter of the opening being greater than the diameter of the ring to permit removal of the temple from the doWel.

7. ln combination, a temple end piece having a doivel, and a temple having an ear provided with an opening Within which the dowel is received, the body portion of the doivel being cylindrical. to provide a bearing for the temple, the free end of the doWel being provided with a projecting, integrally formed ring of diameter less than the diameter of the opening, and the intermediate portion of the doWel being reduced in cross section, the Wall of the opening being adapted to engage the ring to cause the temple to be maintained in position upon the dOWel.

8. A temple end piece having a permanently secured doivel that is integrally provided With means for maintaining a removable temple in position thereon.

9. In combination, a temple end piece, a doWel secured to the end piece, and a temple having an ear provided With an opening Within which the dowvel is received and the Wall of which the dowel is adapted to engage Without binding, the dowel being provided With means adapted to be engaged by the Wall of the opening to cause the temple to be maintained in position upon the dovrei, and the said means being adapted to be passed through the opening to permit removal of the temple from the doWel.

In testimony whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day of May, 1920.

FREDERCK A. STEVENS. 

